The pros and cons of investing in a fitness activity tracker

Wearable tech is coming thick and fast. Ten years ago we were all having our minds blown by the concept of a touch-screen telephone let alone a bracelet that tells you if you’re having laboured breathing. The new era of fitness management is here in the form of activity monitors.

Not to give the company any free promotion (not that they need it) but you would have noticed, or heard (repeatedly), about Fitbits. Black, sleek and looking like a half-finished watch – the Fitbit is the leading brand in wearable activity management giving you full access to all the goings-on inside your body. So is it worth investing in, here are the pros and cons of fitness activity trackers.

Pros

1. Super simple to set up and use

Working with the Bluetooth on your phone, Fitbits take a matter of seconds to link and partner with your device. You don’t have to worry about strangers accessing your data and seeing what days you said you were totally going to the gym and instead watched Making A Murderer in your pants. All you have to do after that is live your life and your tracker will give you the statistics when you want them.

2. A huge variety of features

It’s boggling how one wrist dongle can track so much at one time but with the app you’ll be able to see your daily steps taken, miles walked, calories burned, active miles, sleep, calories in/out according to your food log, water consumed from your log and weight lost.

3. Be part of a wider community

The jokes made about Fitbits tend to lean toward to the ‘cult’ aspect of ‘culture’ but there’s a bit of truth in every joke. Activity monitors are gaining popularity and with so comes legions of forums and discussion groups so you can make the most of being passionate about your fitness.

A Fitbit – Image credit: Rex

Cons

1. You can’t even escape technology while you sleep

Sleep is a time for blocking the rest of the world out and resting not worrying about the quality and regularity of sleep itself relative to the rest of your daily routine. The worst thing you can do the affect your quality of sleep is fertilise anxiety about it. Throw the activity monitor in the drawer at night and just sleep as best you can.

2. Even eating can be monitored

Eating is a huge part of a tight fitness regime but at some point the fitness will overtake the pleasure of dining. Time spent logging your food and thinking about the calorie intake according to what Diet HAL 9000 is telling you will eventually suck all the fun out of dining with friends.

3. Removes the spontaneous elements of fitness

Sometimes it’s fun to just exercise for the sake of feeling good about yourself. Imagine a situation where you’re taken by the impulse to go for a spontaneous run, amazing. You get a good sweat on and feel wonderful about your esteem. Then, the worst happens. Your activity tracker tells you it’s your worst run in weeks and has set you back in your progress. While activity trackers excel in convenience, they lack in an understand of organic impulse.